THE NEW CHALLENGE FOR FACEBOOK IS THE DELIVERY FOOD

The home delivery sector of ready-made food or food products has become one of the most vibrant investment areas for venture capitalist around the world for a couple of years from now. Today the market is in the wake on the United States as well as in Europe, so much so to speak of a fight for supremacy in the delivery sector. In this already saturated market will soon come also Facebook.

Facebook ha just annunced that users in the USA can now order food for takeout or delivery using the Facebook mobile app and the websit. Facebook hasn’t created its own answer to the most important food delivery apps.

The company is partnering with existing services GrubHub, Delivery.com, DoorDash, ChowNow, Zuppler, EatStreet, Slice, and Olo, and will now link out to those food ordering businesses for restaurants that support them. Ordering a takeaway is pretty simple: we should search the ‘order food’ tab in the Facebook app or website. This will bring up a selection of restaurants in your local area that offer delivery or pickup services. Hit ‘start order’ and you’ll be directed to food delivery services. So we can order the food and then pay it.

Here is how it works:

Why order a takeaway through Facebook? The most important reason is that probably people are already on Facebook anyway, figuring out what to eat and seeing what friends say about local restaurants. The speed which you can order food through Facebook goes against the idea of being in touch with people through Facebook messenger. What’s important for Facebook is that people will be more likely to spend a little more time on the platform than before. Facebook is so working to capture another piece of our attention and of our time.

Facebook’s entrance into a market that is not its own could create problems for the smaller startups that are growing up in this field, especially if Facebook makes arrangements with the major startups. Furthermore we must consider that this is a fairly saturated market. The entry of Facebook could cut away some minor players as happened with Maple. So this is not a new situation, already some years ago Maple shutted down because of the entry into the market of startup like Deliveroo which can offers a cheaper food in a less time. Are we sure the quality offers it is better? Unlike Maple, which prepared its own dishes, Deliveroo delivers food made in restaurants. Maple’s owners said about that: “they have a shared vision in reference to delivering great food to your door, and fast.” They would not comment further.

Finally it is clear that Facebook is increasingly part of our lives and it is now present in the most of our actions. It does not surprise me that it can now also be used for delivery food. It is clear how with this novelty Facebook could take the place of other minor palyers who are currently on this market. But the negative aspect in my point of view is that in this way, focusing on food, puts an extra step in its all-encompassing strategy, aimed at getting us out as little as possible from the site!

Instead, I think that detaching ourselves from “virtual” life sometimes would not be bad.